Saturday, 28 June 2008

The Carmelite Rite, or the Rite of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is the liturgical rite of the Roman Catholic Church, distinct from the Roman Rite, employed during the crusades by the the Canons Regular of the Holy Sepulchre, Hospitallers, Templars, Carmelites and the other orders founded within the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Today it is specific to the Carmelite Order.

After considering the question carefully at its General Chapters of 1965, 1968 and 1971, the Calced Carmelite Order decided to abandon its traditional rite in favour of the Mass of Paul VI. The old carmelite rite is still in use today by two Carmelite communities in the United States: the Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Wyoming and the Discalced Carmelite Nuns - Valparaiso, Nebraska.

The nuns of Valparaiso are served by the Priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.

Sunday, 22 June 2008

To support the work of the Institute of Christ the King, Divine Providence has brought about the formation of a community of contemplative nuns dedicated to reparation and adoration of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest. Leading a non-cloistered contemplative life, the sisters offer their daily prayers and sacrifices particularly for the priests of the Institute and the souls entrusted to them.

In June 2004, Ennio Cardinal Antonelli, Archbishop of Florence, vested the first three sisters with their habit. In Spring 2007, they already number nine sisters and four postulants, from France and the United States.

As with the priests and oblates of the Institute, the Adorers of the Royal Heart hold three co-patrons as guiding lights of their spirituality: St. Francis de Sales, St. Benedict, and St. Thomas Aquinas. From St. Francis de Sales' doctrine of Divine Love, the sisters draw the pattern of their vocation, in constant pursuit of growth in Love, always grounded in Truth.

The Benedictine aspect of their charism is reflected in the centrality of the Church's Liturgy, Holy Mass and the Divine Office, carried out in the Classical Roman Rite, around which revolves the rhythm of their daily life. In St. Thomas Aquinas, the sisters find the clarity and structure of thought necessary for their formation and ever deepening understanding of the mysteries of our Catholic Faith. Finally, it is through their principal patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary under Her title of the Immaculate Conception, that they seek to conform their beings and their lives to the Royal Heart of Her Divine Son; thus their motto -- "In Corde Regis."

Their day is centered around prayer -- Holy Mass and the Divine Office in the Classical Latin Rite, one hour of mental prayer and one hour of adoration in the evening, Rosary, etc. Punctuating this rich life of prayer are periods of manual labor and intellectual training, including instruction in Gregorian Chant, Latin, Spirituality, Philosophy, Theology, as well as the learning of crafts such as sewing, lace-making, and the care of liturgical ornaments and altar linens. As the community expands, it is foreseen that foundations will be made alongside the apostolates of the Institute of Christ the King, where the Sisters will support the apostolic work of our priests. Counting already with three American sisters, it is foreseeable that the Sisters will eventually make a foundation in the United States.

Sunday, 15 June 2008

I've often been struck by the wisdom of a seminary path whereby a young man would pass through particular 'rites of passage' if you will, along the way to Holy Orders. For those who aren't familiar with this, until 1972 when this was changed, there were four minor orders (Porter, Lector, Exorcist, Acolyte) followed by the three major orders (Subdeacon, Deacon, Priest). As a seminarian went through his seminary training, he received these 'preparatory offices.'

The initial part of this, and the introduction into the 'clerical state', would see new seminarians move from the state of wearing lay clothes to receiving the tonsure and being vested with the cassock. (This is what is pictured above).

The reason I speak of this as being "wise" is for a couple of simple reasons. We look at the liturgical year in terms of the sanctification of time. It seems to me that in that seven year journey to the priesthood, the reception of these minor orders, and eventually the major orders, can be a kind of means for sanctifying the time of seminary formation and the journey to the Catholic priesthood in a way analagous to how the liturgical year sanctifies the days and months of the year and focused the mind upon the mysteries of our salvation -- particularly so if these are dispensed throughout one's years in the seminary as is typically done in today's classical rite seminaries to the best of my knowledge.

From a spiritual perspective, having such spread out through one's time in seminary (which wasn't always the case as some of our commenters have noted, but which certainly seems more the case in classical rite seminaries now) would certainly be very helpful in keeping one's mind and heart focused upon the precise journey one is undertaking and discerning. It further can help emphasize the clerical state and further distiguish seminary formation from simple lay education.

As well, simply from a human, even psychological, perspective it seems that people naturally crave after and need milestones and rites of passage. These things help to keep them focused from that perspective and give one a sense of progress and purpose. In the case of the seminary, as the years go by, the steps toward Holy Orders become clearly delineated.

It seems to me this would not only help in the process of discernment, but it would also help encourage and keep seminarians on that path by means of the sense of focused progress lent to it by reception of those preparatory offices.

This path of the minor and major orders is of course retained in seminaries of the classical Roman rite today, but I should like to hope that at some point, whether our present pontiff or a future one, might look to restore this for all of the Roman rite.

Sunday, 8 June 2008

The Abbey of Saint Joseph de Clairval, located in the diocese of Dijon, France, is a community of monks living according to the Rule of Saint Benedict in obedience to the Catholic hierarchy. "By their consecrated life, the monks affirm the primacy of God and the goods of the world to come in imitation of Christ chaste, poor and obedient" (John Paul II, March 25 1996).

According to the Benedictine spirit, the liturgical life constitutes the center of the monk's day. The Abbey also organizes five-day spiritual retreats, and sells books, icons, and sculptures.

Sunday, 1 June 2008

The Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem (CRNJ) is a clerical institute of consecrated life whose members (known as canons) pursue the proper apostolic ends of their religious society. By pronouncing the ancient vows of Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience and living a common life according to the specific form of the institute, each member consciously strives towards the perfection of charity.

The Divine Liturgy in its traditional Latin, in the august Eucharistic Sacrifice, Divine Office and other rites and ceremonies of the Church, constitute the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her powers flow.

For this reason the worthy celebration of the Church's worship of the Most Holy Trinity is at the heart of the spirituality and work of the CRNJ. The effectiveness of personal sanctification and apostolic works will stem from each member's faithful participation in the offering of the Church's liturgy particularly in their own daily celebration of the Sacrifice of Redemption.

Bishop Raymond Burke established the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem in the Diocese of La Crosse (Wisconsin) on June 22, 2002.

Here is a picture from the 1st Vespers of Advent Sunday, last year, in Rome:

The server holding Pope Paul VI's "wonky crucifix" is none other than Brother Alban of the Canons Regular: